Incumbent Republican Governor Scott Walker ran for a third term. Incumbent Wisconsin Superintendent of Public InstructionTony Evers became the Democratic nominee after the August 14 primary, winning amongst a crowded field of Democrats. Chair of the Wisconsin Libertarian PartyPhil Anderson challenged the election, running on the Libertarian ticket, and Maggie Turnbull ran as an independent. The results were very close, but Evers was declared the winner in the early hours of November 7. Walker initially planned to seek a recount, but he could not because of a law that he signed himself that said a candidate can only request a recount if that candidate lost by a margin of less than 1%. He lost by 1.09% and later conceded the race to Evers.